Cessna 177RG accident near Tallahassee, Florida, February 9, 2008
On February 9, 2008 at about 1:40 am local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N52495, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Tallahassee, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Pilot's inaccurate fuel management resulting in fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 2008 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- Tallahassee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N52495 · no longer on the register · serial IO-360-A1B6D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot planed a flight from Frederick, Maryland to Tallahassee, FL. While on approach to the Tallahassee Regional Airport, the engine lost power and the airplane collided with powerlines and crashed onto a y road. A Leon County Sheriff's Office representative stated he heard over the dispatch radio communications to contact the local airport; an airplane was having problems. A few moments later he observed an explosion at the top of the power lines located on the southeast corner of the intersection, almost immediately the entire city in the vicinity went completely dark. He observed flames rain down over the intersection. Approximately 6 to 8 people ran from the gas station area located on the southwest corner of the intersection. This all took place as he heard over the dispatch radio "it's down, it's down." He observed an object strike the ground. The airplane was near vertical with the front of the airplane in the grass at the southwest corner of the intersection. He came to the aid of the pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane. He observed the pilot secured by the seatbelt and was pinned in the crashed cockpit area of the airplane. Fire rescue extracted the pilot and transported him to the local hospital. The responding FAA inspector stated that the airplane crashed 3 miles northeast of the Tallahassee Regional Airport, during an emergency landing. The airplane struck electrical power lines and a pole during the approach. The airplane impacted the ground nose first and remained in a near vertical position. There was no post crash fire and the fuel tanks were empty at the initial inspection of the airplane wreckage. During the interview with the pilot, he admitted to being embarrassed because he ran out of fuel in flight. The pilot stated "I even rocked the wings to use every drop of fuel". The pilot had flown about 5 hours 34 minutes at the time of the accident and he departed with 60 gallons of fuel.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
- Fuel exhaustion during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KFDK Frederick MD
- Destination: KTLH Tallahassee FL
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 11,000 ft; ovct at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KTHL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.